


Fish

by the_accidental_horcrux



Series: INKTOBER [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Horror, Inktober, Small Towns, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:41:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26780812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_accidental_horcrux/pseuds/the_accidental_horcrux
Summary: Carla Northcot was a wonderful young lady. She always followed the rules. Don't wear your shoes in the house, go to church on Sunday, andnever go fishing after dusk.
Series: INKTOBER [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952683
Comments: 5
Kudos: 3





	Fish

**Author's Note:**

> HEY! This is my day 1 of Inktober 2020 but because I can't draw I'm writing instead. Just to preface, this is an original work but not all of the ones I'll post during the month will be. Fandoms will be tagged!

_ Never go fishing after dusk. _ Those were the words ingrained into Carla Northcot’s mind that made up the number one rule in the small town of Athelmine. Nobody told her why, but she never questioned it either. There was no reason to. It was one of those things that just  _ was _ . Go to church on Sunday, don’t wear your shoes in the house,  _ never go fishing after dusk _ . 

When they were children, she and the boys used to make up stories for why they couldn’t go fishing once the sun was down. William, her oldest brother, had a theory that there was a monster in the lake that hunted at night, and couldn’t tell the fishermen from the fish. Jack, the boy next door, thought it had the makings of a curse placed on the lake itself. Matthew, the boy she was sweet on, said that it had nothing to do with the lake, and everything to do with the missing sun. Spooky things happened at night, he said, and he was very insistent about it. Arthur, her second oldest brother, said it had to do with bad luck and superstition, about disturbing the sleep of others or something along those lines. 

Carla herself thought that it was just the town’s way of keeping idiots off the lake when there was no one around to rescue them. None of the boys liked that thought, not fans of her practical,  _ logical _ , thinking. 

No one had ever done it, either. Not in her lifetime, at least. So she had to wonder if it was really all that important. Still, she was content to be just curious with no real action to it as she grew into a lovely young woman. 

Really, it was a concern for silly little children, and she was one no longer, at the ripe age of sixteen. She expressed as much when she and the boys met up again on the weekend, school and work done, chores finished. They were at the lakeside this afternoon, socks off, culottes and trousers rolled up to the knee, splashing in the water. 

William, and all of his nineteen years of wisdom, was the only one sitting off to the side, a book in hand. He said he was too old to be doing foolish things like wading in the water for no reason and had opted, instead, to relax against the big oak tree in the shade. Jack and Matthew guffawed at his remark, insisting that if one didn’t have fun on the weekend, one would turn into a grouchy old man before the time was right. They were both seventeen, and finishing their last year of school before they would have to start working regularly. 

That would mean fewer weekends to splash around with the whole group, as it was already hard enough to plan around William’s ever busying schedule. Carla couldn’t help the flash of resentment at all the inconvenience of growing up. She couldn’t diene to think like that for very long, though, as she saw the sun begin to drift behind the trees. 

Calling out to her boys, she advised them to head to shore, grabbing Arthur’s arm to drag him with her. While there was no strict rule about just being in the lake after sunset, no one dared to push their luck. Who knew what was considered fishing after dusk, anyway? Arthur was really the only one who ever wanted to test out the rule, despite almost being eighteen.

When Matthew called a race to the top of the hill, Carla let out a shriek of delight, grabbed her shoes, and took off running for home. This was the boy she was going to marry in less than a month, and her mother would scold her for being so childish, but she had known Matthew her entire life, and if he didn’t know what she was like by now, he never would.

Jack was the first one up the hill, despite Carla’s lead. He always was the fastest, probably why he ended up on the track and field team at school. Next was Arthur, who was all long legs and stubborn determination. Carla herself was third, running hard, but not quite as fast as those two. Matthew came right behind her, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d let her beat him on purpose or not. Last would be William, probably because he thought racing was below him. 

When she turned around to look, she couldn’t even see him making his way calmly up the path, which wasn’t too strange, but it made her crease her brow. Matthew, ever observant, noticed the concern and let out a laugh along with an explanation. William had said he was going to finish the chapter of his book before he came up, and Carla couldn’t help but feel silly for her worry. 

The four made their way back to their respective houses, numbers dwindling as they got further from the lake. First was Matthew, who kissed Carla’s hand while Arthur gagged and Jack frowned, who lived down the street from the other three. Next was Jack, who called out goodbye from his porch as the street lamp on the corner flickered on. Last was Arthur and herself, walking side by side all the way down their lengthy driveway, laughing about their day.

Their mother’s call could be heard as they approached, scolding them for wasting the day away. They were quickly shooed to wash up before supper time, and both shared a look of delight upon learning their favourite meal had been prepared for them while they were gone.

After their meal, Carla made her way to her room to go to bed, as tomorrow was Sunday, and church was early in the morning. Calling out goodnight to her brother, she fell asleep with a smile on her face. A perfect end to a perfect day.

Church went smoothly as always, her, her mother, and her brother all sitting side by side on a pew the row behind Matthew and his parents. Jack and his father sat in the row beside them, and they all shared knowing looks during the service. They were going to go down to the lake again today, the weather was nice for it, and Jack’s job interview wasn’t until the next Friday. Plus, she had to win the race today, she just had to.

She and Matthew walked hand and hand towards their little beach as the other two ran ahead, shouting venomless insults at them for being so lovey-dovey. Carla threw her head back and laughed, shouting back words that surely sent a shiver up her mother’s spine. She couldn’t help it. Growing up with three boys left her acting like one alongside them. 

Once down at the lake, the day passed quickly. Between their game of hide and seek, and making fun of Arthur’s obvious crush on a girl in his arithmetic class, they had little more to do before the sun started setting than laze around on the shore. Jack stood by the old oak tree for shade and complained that his father would kill him for getting his church pants all sandy, so they should head back into town. 

Neither of the other boys nor Carla had any complaints, so they began to stand up and brush themselves off. Today, Arthur called the race, though Jack was the first to go tearing up the hill, with him already standing and ready to go. Carla let out a shout of indignation and took off after him, closely followed by Matthew and then Arthur.

Carla managed to snag third place once again, quite proud of herself. Matthew and Arthur swapped places, Matthew half pulling his fiancée up the hill behind him in a mad dash for victory. Jack, unsurprisingly, was well ahead of the rest of them. It was only at the top of the hill that Matthew noticed his missing suit jacket, which he had placed on the shore for Carla to sit on to not dirty her dress. In his haste to win the race, he had left it behind.

Waving the rest of the group on ahead, promising to catch up, and pressing a gentle kiss to Carla’s cheek, he returned for his jacket. He, too, probably feared his mother’s wrath at forgetting such an important piece of clothing. 

The three continued on their way back to their street, Jack reaching out halfway to their houses, as the sunset, to hold her hand. He only let go as they got to his porch, planting a loud kiss on her cheek as Arthur gagged. His short goodbye and shy smile as he called out  _ I love you _ made Carla giggle, face turning red with the thought of their future together.

She and Arthur made their way back home, bumping shoulders every so often. Arthur teased her about marrying a track star, while she teased him about his hopeless crush. Their mother was sitting on the front lawn, having a smoke when they approached from the road, eyes narrowing. In the light of the streetlamp, she looked for any signs of dirt on their Sunday clothes, obviously satisfied when she didn’t see any. 

Supper was on the stove, leftovers that had been reheated, though no less good. When Carla’s head hit the pillow once again, she couldn’t help the giggle that rose from her throat at the thought of her lovely weekend.

School was a blur, and it passed quickly, the only thing of note was the mark of less than a fortnight until her and Jack’s wedding. Friday came quickly enough, and Jack had his interview for a job just outside of Athelmine as a farmhand. Carla wouldn’t know if he got the job or not until he met her and Arthur down at the lake at their usual spot later in the day. 

She couldn’t help the worry in her chest as she waited for news, watching her brother swim back and forth. She rested against the oak, her brother’s neatly folded clothes serving as her cushion for the hard ground. 

A crack of a twig on the ground gave away the approaching teen, and Carla’s head snapped towards the sound. Seeing Jack’s face, she launched herself at him, drawing him into a fierce hug. The cheek-splitting grin he wore on his face said it all.  _ He got the job! _ Calling out to her brother, she laughed loud and happy, this was great news.

In her carelessness, she stumbled over a root and pitched backwards towards the lake, reaching and grabbing onto the closest thing available to her. This just so happened to be Jack. They both careened into the lake, fully dressed, landing in the shallow water with absolutely no grace. Boy were they about to face hell for ruining their clothes, but Carla couldn’t help the glee she felt. Jack was laughing too, from above her, and Arthur was yelling at her from a distance for being a clutz, and she couldn’t help but lean up and press her lips against the boy she loved’s in a sweet congratulatory kiss.

Arthur mimed throwing up and dove into the water to escape their sweet moment, and Jack took the opportunity to pepper a dozen soft kisses all over Carla’s face before helping her back into a standing position. 

She blamed it on her distraction, as it was only then that the setting sun caught her eye. She swiftly pulled Jack out of the water, but couldn’t help but watch in horror as Arthur came up for air a fair way from the shore. She called out to her brother loudly and sharply, demanding he come out of the lake,  _ right this instant _ , and watched as his eyes widened with fear before he ducked back under to swim as quickly as possible towards her.

He wasn’t going to make it in time, there wasn’t enough time before the sun would be gone and her brother would be breaking the most important rule. She cried out his name, as if that could possibly help, and watched with growing dread as the last rays of sun disappeared behind the hill across the lake.

Jack's voice brought her out of her reprieve, asking her why she was crying.  _ Oh _ , she hadn’t even realized she had been crying.  _ It was a beautiful sunset _ , was her explanation, though she had never felt the need to cry about one before. Jack agreed, wiping a thumb softly on her cheek to wipe away the tears, and took her hand gently in his. 

A shiver went through her body from the wind on her wet clothes, and so she couldn’t help but demand a race to warm up. She launched on ahead, fiancé following closely behind her, though never passing, until she reached the top. An indignant huff left her lips as she faced Jack, demanding he not go easy on her all the time.

Hand in hand, they walked towards their street. As always, despite Jack's house coming first, he walked Carla all the way to her front porch. Her mother caught sight of their wet clothes, and ushered her and Jack inside, muttering about sickness.

Once changed into dry clothes, they curled up in front of the fire, warm drinks in hand to stave off the chill in their bones. They talked in quiet voices, sharing smiles and whispers about their future together. When Carla’s mother returned from her phone call with Jack’s father, she found the two sleeping soundly, heads pressed close together, and she didn’t have the heart to wake either of them up to move them.

Saturday and Sunday that week passed much the same as it had the week before, days spent at the lake, as the nights grew shorter, and the sun stayed up longer. Summer was around the corner, and everyone in the town could feel it. Her and Jack’s wedding was set to happen on the Wednesday immediately after the last day of school, and Carla couldn’t be more excited. The week passed without incident too, Jack going off to work twice after school and once in the early hours of the morning on the next Saturday. Church on Sunday passed as it always did, Carla and her mother sitting across from Jack and his father, and it marked three days until the wedding.

A girl in her class addressed her as Carla Mickford, and she couldn’t help the thrill it sent up her spine. She laughed and said  _ not yet _ with a smile from ear to ear as she doodled in her notebook. Her mother was manically cleaning the house, and making everything prepared for the reception. The church had already begun to set up for the service, white ribbons hanging delicately from the pews. Her dress, her mother’s old dress, was hung on her door, and she went to sleep every night looking at it with a smile.

The day came around all too quickly, and she was bursting at the seams. The service itself passed in the blink of an eye, and all of a sudden, the officiator was pronouncing them husband and wife. She was Mrs. Jack Mickford now.

The reception was full and loud and bright, with the whole town gathered at their home, drinking and eating and laughing. Clara felt full of happiness and begged her new husband to go to the hill to watch the sunset with her. A perfect end to a perfect day.

Jack led her down the path to their beach, the place he asked her to marry him, and they stood hand in hand, watching the sun sink lower and lower in the sky. She took a step forward when she saw a bird fly by, hoping to find a clearer view, hand pulling from Jack’s as she pointed.

It was a split second that changed everything. Her dress caught on a root by the oak tree, tripping her towards the lake as the sun hid behind the hill. Jack shouted for her, reaching out an arm to catch her from falling into the water. Her off-balance stance pulled him forwards while she went backwards, sending him into the lake. 

A name was on her lips to call out when her attention was pulled elsewhere. Her mother was calling from the top of the hill, demanding she make her way back home.  _ It’s too late for a young lady to be out alone _ , she said once Carla stood at her side. She said she had half a mind to send Mr. Mickford out to get her when she wasn’t home by nightfall, the childless man being their closest neighbour. And what had she said about dressing up in her old wedding gown again? It just wasn’t practical.

With one last look over her shoulder, down at the peaceful, unmoving, lake, she sighed and shook her head. She would find a boy to love eventually, as long as she kept doing what she was told. No shoes in the house, go to church on Sunday, and  _ never go fishing after dusk _ .

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I hope you enjoyed that... I'm not super good at horror so we'll see how this progresses throughout the month. 
> 
> On another note!!! Well.... I lost access to my discord and had to make a new one and lost a bunch of my friends because I didn't have their contact on any other apps and didn't have their IDs written down......... so that's fun.


End file.
